Book Note: Rosemary Kirstein, The Lost Steersman

This is book 3 of the "Steerswoman" series.

This note contains spoilers for the book.

The long-delayed third book. And boy did that second one end at a bad place.

Rowan gets to the Annex, finds the records in disarray and the woman in charge dead, starts her research, and the town gets attacked repeatedly by Demons—Outskirt lifeforms that squirt corrosive liquid 60 feet. She also finds Justin in town, one of the rare men who were in her order. He quit, and is under ban, and she can't find out why.

Then the demons kidnap him. They've never behaved purposefully before. She decides they're servants of the wizard she's searching.

But that probably isn't true. She finds out that Justin is insane, details not clear, and that the Demons are intelligent creatures. I'd been afraid of that for most of the book. But they made no sense for dumb animals. I really wish she hadn't taken it this direction.

No progress is made on the wizard war, and the fact that the native lifeforms have produced a sapient species will complicate things incredibly. This is getting less and less fun. Maybe she won't write the next book.

I continue to like the main character, and the new batch of supporting characters are excellent as well. The display of the silk-growing village is really quite excellent.